berries Archives - The Midnight Baker

Blackberry Pork Chops

Judith Hannemann — Sun, 17 Feb 2019 00:00:59 +0000

Pork chops in a blackberry sauce is easy enough for family and fancy enough for guests!

Fancy But Easy

Do you tend to make your pork chops the same old way every time? I’m guilty of that myself. It used to be Shake-N-Bake each and every time.

I wanted to get out of that rut, so for the past few years, I’ve been trying new ways to make pork chops. Since pork loins have been on sale for super prices, I really stocked up. When I buy a whole loin, I cut it up myself into a roast and then chops. So with all this pork, I was really looking for some new ways to make them.

This was one of the recipes I tried. It’s different and delicious. It only looks fancy–but it’s very easy!

Fruit And Pork

Fruit and pork is a marriage made in heaven.

There’s so many different fruits that pair well with pork besides apples. Berries are a perfect match.

Blackberries have a rich deep flavor and go so well with these pork chops. There’s a lot of blackberries in this recipe so if you can catch a sale, you’ll be golden. But if you’re like me, you might have some stashed in the freezer from previous sales. Yep, you can use frozen ones in here because most of the berries are mashed. The reserved berries are basically a garnish.

Use A Rich Wine

The original recipe calls for zinfandel. Zinfandel is a great wine to pair with anything spicy. Keep in mind this is the red zinfandel–not the white variety. However, you can use any full-bodied red in here. It will work just as well.

If you don’t use alcohol at all, then just substitute chicken stock for it. But I do recommend using the wine because it adds a great flavor to the sauce.

The Recipe

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Blackberry Pork Chops

Pork chops in a blackberry sauce is easy enough for family and fancy enough for guests!

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Total Time30

Course: Main

Cuisine: American

Keyword: blackberries, blackberry sauce, pork chops

Servings: 4

Calories: 459kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

2 tbs chili powder
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
4 pork chops about 1-inch bone-in or boneless loin pork chops
2 tbs olive oil
2 tbs minced onion
1/2 cup zinfandel or medium-dry red wine
4 cups fresh blackberries divided
1/4 cup chicken stock
2 tbs sugar more, if desired
2 tbs unsalted butter

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Combine the chili powder, cayenne, salt and pepper. Rub into chops.
Heat oil in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chops and brown on both sides. Cover the pan and reduce heat to low and cook 5-7 minutes; remove chops from the pan cover and keep warm.
Saute the onion in the same pan over medium-high heat for about 2 minutes. Deglaze the pan with the wine and scrape up any browned bits.
Add 3 cups of the berries, stock and sugar. Bring to a boil then simmer for 3 minutes. Coarsely mash the berries then simmer the sauce over low heat until it’s slightly thick—about 8 minutes.
Stir in the remaining berries and cook until heated through; remove from heat and stir in the butter. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the chops back to the pan and serve with the sauce.

Nutrition

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Raspberry Sauce

Judith Hannemann — Wed, 31 Oct 2018 00:00:34 +0000

This easy-to-make raspberry sauce is so good, you’ll eat it straight!

Make Your Own: It’s Easy

Raspberries have been on sale a lot lately. I’ve been getting them two for one and I take advantage of this.

Of course, most go in the freezer immediately because they will go moldy very quickly, but I wanted to try my hand at making some fresh raspberry sauce. The recipe is very simple and unlike some raspberry sauces (often called “coulis” in Europe), this one required a short cooking time.

Unlike doing a raw version–where you process the raspberries and add confectioner’s sugar–this one required cooking. I think that’s the key to the intense flavor since the liquid reduces somewhat. As I always say, any reduction results in a better and more intense flavor.

About The Seeds…

Raspberry seed are the bane of anyone with dental work and frankly even if you don’t have bridgework, they are annoying.

The only labor-intensive step here is you must strain or sieve the sauce. This is not difficult and you don’t need any special equipment. A simple screen strainer from the dollar store works very well. Of course if you have more sophisticated equipment such as a stand mixer attachment for straining or a Mouli food mill, use those since they’ll make the work even easier. However, you don’t need them. In fact, I have both of those specialty gadgets and I used the good ole dollar store strainer. For one thing, it’s easier to clean!

Use It Fast

Just like fresh raspberries, this won’t last forever once it’s made.

Sure, it’ll last a bit longer in the fridge than the fresh fruit, but it doesn’t have a long shelf life. Fortunately, this makes a rather small batch which can be used within a week. You can also freeze what you don’t use so you can have it on hand if you need it. Of course, I doubt it will last that long–most of mine was used with me eating it straight from the jar with a spoon.

The Recipe

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Raspberry Sauce

This easy-to-make raspberry sauce (raspberry coulis) is so good, you’ll eat it straight from the jar! The recipe yields one cup (8 oz).

Prep Time5

Cook Time10

Total Time15

Course: Sauce

Cuisine: American

Keyword: dessert sauce, raspberries, raspberry coulis, raspberry sauce

Servings: 8

Calories: 40kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

2 cups fresh raspberries
1/4 cup sugar (or up to 1/2 cup if more sweetness is needed)
1/2 cup water

Instructions

Place raspberries in a large saucepan.
Add the water and sugar (start with the minimum amount); stir.
Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 8-10 minutes. The liquid should be syrupy. Remove from heat and cool completely.
Process the raspberry mixture in a food mill (use the fine plate) or a fine sieve/strainer, pressing out the pulp. Discard the seeds.
Cover and refrigerate. This will last about 1 week.

Nutrition

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Summer Fruit Crisp

Judith Hannemann — Tue, 25 Jul 2017 23:00:18 +0000

Take advantage of bountiful summer fruit and berries in this yummy fruit crisp. Very easy to make too.

Berries Berries

Summer is the time for berries–all kinds!

There have been fantastic sales on almost all varieties weekly. I have taken advantage of these sales by stocking up and freezing them. This way you have them stored for the proverbial rainy day!

Peaches And Nectarines

Peaches and nectarines are another summertime favorite.

These have also been on sale quite frequently this season.

I don’t bother to freeze fruit such as this because it loses something in the freezing. I prefer to use these fresh.

Summer Fruit Crisp: Combine Berries And Peaches…

If it’s one summer dessert I really love, it’s a fruit crisp. You guessed it–my favorite fruit would be peaches or nectarines as the main flavor.

However, I decided to throw some berries into the mix here. It was difficult to decide, but finally I chose blueberries. I thought it would be a nice color contrast to the yellow of the peaches and blueberries are just so darn popular lately!

Any berry would work in this. Strawberries would be lovely as well as blackberries and raspberries. But with the latter, you have to bear in mind the seeds and this could be bad for people with dental work. If no one has dental issues, then by all means use raspberries and blackberries.

You can make this super duper by adding a variety of berries in with the peaches or nectarines!

The Recipe

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Summer Fruit Crisp

Take advantage of bountiful summer fruit and berries in this yummy fruit crisp. Very easy to make too.

Prep Time20

Cook Time1

Total Time1 20

Course: desserts

Cuisine: American

Keyword: easy desserts, fresh berries, fresh fruit

Servings: 6

Calories: 399kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

FRUIT MIX

2 lbs peaches or nectarines slice about 1/4-inch thick (no need to peel)
1 cup blueberries see NOTES
juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup sugar
2 tbs flour -OR- cornstarch -OR- Modified food starch Cooking Clear Gel
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cinnamon

TOPPING

1 1/2 cups oats quick or old-fashioned
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup unsalted butter cut in chunks
1/2 cup brown sugar

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350℉. Lightly spray a 1.5 quart baking dish. A 9 x 9-inch pan may also be used as well as a deep pie plate.
Place the peaches/nectarines in a large bowl. Add the blueberries and the juice of 1 lemon; toss to coat.
Mix the sugar, flour/cornstarch/clear gel, nutmeg and cinnamon in a small bowl. Mix the sugar mixture in with the fruit. Toss to coat well.
Turn the fruit mixture into the prepared pan.
In a medium bowl, mix the oats, flour and sugar. Cut in the butter until it resembles peas. Sprinkle on top of the fruit.
Place the baking dish on a baking sheet lined with parchment or foil (this will catch the drips).
Bake for 60 minutes, or until fruit is bubbly.

Notes

You may use any berry you like or a combination of berries

Nutrition

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Strawberry Cream Chimichangas

Judith Hannemann — Sat, 09 May 2015 23:00:00 +0000

Strawberry Cream Chimichangas

Delightful and easy dessert! These sweet and creamy berry flavored chimichangas are sure to please.

Here’s a taste of summer wrapped up in a flour tortilla!

If I had to describe it to anyone, I’d call it a Mexican blintz. Basically that’s what it is but instead of sauteeing a crepe in butter, this is rolled in a flour tortilla and deep fried.

Easy summer dessert

They are quick to make too. No long prep or cook time. It took me all of 5 minutes to prep and 5 minutes to fry. Remember, you’re really only crisping the tortilla; everything else requires no cooking!

These are perfect to serve at an early summer BBQ. They really taste great straight out of the fryer, but they are even good chilled so don’t be afraid to make them ahead of time.

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Strawberry Cream Chimichangas

Delightful and easy dessert! These sweet and creamy berry flavored chimichangas are sure to please.

Prep Time20

Cook Time7

Total Time27

Course: desserts

Cuisine: Mexican

Keyword: chimichanga, mexican dessert

Servings: 8

Calories: 129kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

8 oz cream cheese softened
2 tbsp greek yogurt
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup fresh or frozen no sugar strawberries, cut up*
~8 small 8-inch flour tortillas
oil for frying
confectioners sugar for dusting

Instructions

*Any berries may be used
Place about 2-inches of oil in a dutch oven. Heat over medium heat to 375 degrees F.
Beat cream cheese and yogurt until smooth. Add the sugar, beating well after adding. Fold in cut up berries.
Place about 1/4 cup of the cream cheese mixture in the center of the tortilla
Fold tortilla ends inward and roll up like an eggroll; seal seam with a toothpick.
Drop in heated oil and fry for 5-7 minutes turning midway during the cooking.
Drain and dust with confectioner's sugar when cool

Nutrition

Strawberry Cream Chimichangas

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